What Comes After • the walking dead ²

3 • Cell Block C

»Play: I Believe You by The Newton Brothers«

Daryl paced on top of the overturned bus at the front gate. With his crossbow in hand, he watched over the group and the trees, looking for anything out of place. "There's nothing out there." Alexa's familiar voice suddenly said, making Daryl jump. "I hope." She added.

Daryl grunted, still staring into the woods until a metal glint caught his eye. "What's that?" He asked, referring to the shallow metal pan in Alexa's hands. She held it out to him.

"Food. Carol asked me to bring it over," Alexa said. "Says if she doesn't give us something we won't eat at all." She snorted. "She's right."
Daryl grumbled in agreement, sitting down next to Alexa as she sat down on the edge of the bus. He looked out to the group.

"I guess little Shane over there has got quite the appetite."

Alexa laughed out loud at Daryl's comments. He couldn't help but chuckle with her.

"Here," Daryl grumbled, holding out the pan to Alexa. "Eat something."

The two ate in silence, watching the group around their fire from a distance. Alexa suddenly shivered.

"Cold?" Daryl asked. Alexa shrugged. For Alexa, a shrug usually meant "yes". Daryl removed the poncho he had acquired over the winter and tossed it over Alexa's shoulders.

"I hate you," Alexa mumbled, but she didn't mean it. Daryl chuckled, tossing an arm over her shoulders.

"Sure you do." He said as Alexa absentmindedly rested her head on Daryl's shoulder.

Beth's melodic voice suddenly echoed in the night air from where she sang at the campfire. Alexa would have minded, but right now, she didn't care. With her head still on Daryl's shoulder, Alexa closed her eyes and yawned. She couldn't remember the last time she slept.

"We better get back." Daryl suddenly grumbled.

Alexa hummed, standing and offering a hand to the man. He accepted, letting the girl pull him to his feet. Once the two were standing, Alexa couldn't help but smirk as she met Daryl's eye.

"It's pretty romantic." She teased, biting her lip. "Wanna screw around?"

"Pfft." Daryl laughed, double-checking to make sure the girl wasn't being serious before he edged to the side of the bus. "I'll go down first."

"Even better." Alexa smiled.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Stop."

"Ready?" Hershel quizzed. Rick nodded, taking the carabiner clips off the gate and yanking it open. T-dog, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Alexa, and Rick advanced inside, weapons at the ready as Hershel closed the gate behind them and the rest of the group started rattling the fence, trying to get the stray walkers' attention away from the main group.

Alexa grabbed a walker by its prison uniform, pulling it closer so she could ram her knife through its chin and into its brain. "Stay together!" Glenn warned as the group stayed in a tight circle, advancing and taking out walkers as they went.

Alexa kicked the leg of the next walker that advanced on her, forcing it down to its knees. She drove her blade through the top of its head and kicked it away before repeating the same move on the next walker.

"Don't break rank!" Rick suddenly shouted as T-dog made a break for one of the guard's abandoned bulletproof shields.

"We need that." T objected, snagging the shield from the ground, only to get cornered by a walker. Thankfully, Maggie was quick to rush to his aid, and they both safely fell back into formation.

Rick lead the group under the bridge but quickly flattened himself against the wall when he noticed the next open gate, the others copied his movements. Four walkers suddenly appeared in full riot gear, making Daryl whip out his crossbow and shoot one. However, his arrow merely bounced off its plastic face shield.

The group glanced at each other in worry before just going for it and starting to attack. Alexa jabbed her knife into a walker, not in riot gear near her, her eyes widening when she realized it was a civilian. However, she didn't think about it before running up to a walker in gear.

Her knife bounced off its helmet and armor, but suddenly she got an idea and tackled it to the ground before ripping off its helmet and stabbing it. The others seemed to notice the strategy and did the same or similar things.

Noticing the open gate that walkers were still getting through, Alexa ran to it, Daryl right behind her. Alexa full-on karate kicked one of the walkers at the gate, forcing it to stumble back just as Daryl pulled the gate shut and locked it.

The two pulled away from the gate just as the fighting on their side settled down. The group all glanced at each other, relishing in the small victory. But before Glenn could open the gate for the others, Rick called out to him, stopping him. He looked around, analyzing something.

"It looks secure," Glenn said.

"Not from the look of that courtyard over there." Daryl gestured to the yard he and Alexa had just closed. "And that's a civilian." He added, pointing at the walker from the outside Alexa had killed.

T-dog sighed. "Some of the interior could be overrun with walkers from outside the prison." He inferred.

"If there are walls down what are we gonna do? We can't rebuild this whole place." Glenn huffed.

"Well, we can't risk a blind spot," Alexa said, crossing her arms.

Rick nodded in agreement, wiping the blood off his forehead. "We have to push in." He said, pointing his machete at one of the doors.

The group sighed but didn't verbally object as they followed Rick into the prison. The inside was dark, and almost all of the outside lights got cut off as the door shut behind them.

The room they entered was so quiet that they could hear water dripping in the distance. Rick gestured up at the guard tower that was settled above the room so the guards could once look down at the prisoners. Rick went up, Daryl covering him as the rest of the group waited in anticipation, ready to attack if they needed to.

A moment later, Rick came down the stairs, holding two sets of keys, one of which he tossed at Daryl. The man nodded at the cell door that lead to the cell block. Carefully, he unlocked the door through the bars and pushed it open. A creaking sound echoed around the place.

Alexa and Daryl were the first ones in, their weapons held high as they checked over the cells on the upper and lower floors. The rest of the group followed their lead. All the prisoners still in their cells were shot through the brain. Killed when they were alive Alexa observed.

Daryl and Alexa started up the stairs to the second floor, and just as they did, a thud echoed. The two glanced at each other, Alexa starting to lead the way before Daryl caught her hand and pulled her back so he could go first.

Two walkers reached through the bars of their cells, both of which Daryl killed before opening their cells to drag their bodies out. Deeming the cell block was safe, Maggie and Glenn ran out to get the rest of the group while the others brought the bodies into the room they had entered first.

"Is it secure?" Lori interrogated her husband the second she stepped inside.

"This cellblock is," Rick assured her.

"Home sweet home." Glenn joked as he hauled his and Maggie's stuff into one of the cells.

Alexa sighed, leaning against the railing as she stared down at the group from where she was on the second level. The group then started pestering Rick about the safety of the prison and where they would sleep and what the plan was. Alexa rolled her eyes. Couldn't the group just look around and suck it up for once?

Alexa looked around as Chase came to stand beside her. Her emerald eyes finally landed on a sign above the door they had come in. Cell Block C, their new home. For the time being.